annoying but interesting film.

Been watching the dvd.
It is an interesting film,filmed in the late 1970s looks like World War 2 had just ended,huge gap sites and so on.

But the film shows ordinary people (railway guy at Central Staion,Boyle's neighbours)treating Boyle as a hero,why? he was a violent thug he was not Robin Hood,he slashed people for not paying loan sharks?